Just a little more than three miles from campus lies a spunky dive called The Penguin. It attracts folks from across the region who drive into town just to grab a table and chow down.

Go early if you're hoping to have lunch there. There's usually a line of waiting hungry customers when the doors open daily at 11 a.m. That's because everything is made from scratch daily, from their zippy pimento cheese to the crispy, just slightly sweet corn dogs and sweet potato fries. The Penguin's clientele are just as varied as the menu. The eclectic crowd is often a mix of bankers, bikers and babies on any given day, with tattoos as common as neckties.

All of these quirky charactistics define what this Charlotte landmark has been all about since 1954 - good eats and good people.